1. Wheat (STan, chiUUjh\ i.e. fl??^, like the Arabic MUah; the several kernels are denoted by the plur. b'^an ; Greek irvpoc ; in the N. T. the more generic term crtroc ; in modem Egypt and Barbary ibamc&tm, Heb. n^{^) was the most important kind of bread-oora grown in Palestine (Isa. xxviii, 26 ; Ezek, iv, 9), and, like barley, was raised throughout the Umd (Deut. viii, 8; Judg.vi,ll; lSam..vi,18; 2Sam.iv,6; xvii,28; oomp. Pliny, xviii, 21) ; so ftiUy supplying the inhab- itants that Solomon was enabled with a surplus to pro- cure the services of king Hiram's artificers (1 Kings V, 11), and considerable exports of wheat to Tyre are spoken of at a later date (Ezek. xxvii, 17). The cul- ture of wheat is still practised there (Robinson, R&- iearchetj ii, 276 ^tc.). The finest wheat is said (Mish- na, Menach. viii, 1) to have grown in Michmash, and an unknown locality called Mesumduih («nn*^91t9). In Ezek. (1. c) a peculiar kind of wheat (n-^rp "^an, ** wheat of Minnith") is spoken of. See Miknith. The sowing of wheat fell in Marchesvan (Oct.-Nov.), and the reaping (p^W *1S;?, "wheat-harvest") at the and of Nisan (March-April). See Calekdab. Wheat
still ripens in Palestine sometimes in April (Kocte, ReUe, p. 146,482; Shaw, Trm, p. 290), although it is usually fit to cut in May or the beginnhig <d Jvne (Robinson, Beteaarckea, ii, 99, etc). Sm Ffxar-PKYimL Wheat flour (d'^an nbb, Exod. xzix, 2) was used lor bread and cakes (q. v.), and the grains were also roast- ed (see Pabchkd Corn) when green (Joshua ▼, U ; Ruth 11,14; lSam.xvii,17; 2 Sam. vii, 28), as is stfll the case in Palestine, especially by the reapers (Has- selquist, p. 91). See Habvbst. The kemels were also pounded (Lev. ii, 14; xxlii, 14; 2 Kings iv, 42) into a Und of grits (ba-ns). See Eabs (of Cork). In the sanctuary wheat was used in consideraUe quan- tity (Ezra vii, 22 ; oomp. vi, 9; see Bel 2). Wheat was universally cultivated in the lands of hither Asia, and the a4joining parts of North Africa (Egypt), from the earliest times ; but how it was introduced to the Hebrews is unknown. See generaUy Link, in the AhhandL der Berliner Ahademie, 1816-17, p. 127 sq. ; Celsii Hierobot. ii, 112 sq. — Winer, ii, 687. See Wheat.
2. Barleg (M'^yb, teirak), of various kinds (chieflj the six-rowed), was largely cultivated (Gen. xxvii, 16 ; 2 Chron. ii, 10; Ruth ii, 17; 2 Sam. xiv, 80; Isaiah xxviii, 25; Jer. xli, 8) by the Egyptians (Exod.ix, 31 sq.) and Hebrews (as <me of the staple products of Pal- estine, Deut. viii, 8; comp. Joel i, 11), and was used partly as fodder (1 Kings iv, 28 ; oomp. Pe$aeh. f. iii, 2) for cattle (Phasdr. v, 6, 8; Juven. viii, IMj Pliny, idii, 47 ; xviii, 14; xxviii, 81) or horses (iEsop, /ViA. 140; comp. Sonnini, Trav, ii, 20), partly for bread (Pliny, Bist, Nat, xviii, 26) for the poorer classes (Judg. vii, 18; 2 Kings iv, 42; John vi, 9, 18; comp. £zek.iv,9; Joseph. FTor, v, 10, 2 ; Philo, ii, 907 ; Sen- eca, Ep. 18, p. 86, Bip.; Athen. vii, 804; Hutarch, Apoph, reg, p. 8, Lips. ; Xenoph. Anab, iv, 6, 81 ; see Wetstein, i, 876 sq.) ; for the latter purpose it was re- garded as wholesome (Ludan, Maaib, 5 ; Pliny, -g-g^^ 66); but, being less palatable than wheat (Athen. Hi, 116), it was not usually eaten except under the press- ure of hunger (Wllhelm Tyr. xi, 22, p. 809), and there- fore constituted the regular fore of Roman soldiers when undergoing correction (Livy, xxvii, 13; Sueton. Aug. 24; Veget. MU. i, 18; Dio Cass, xllx, c. 27 and 88 ; Polyb. vi, 88, 4 ; Polyam. iv, 24), as of the hermits in the Christian Church (Jerome, C^. ii, 5); although in early times it was a common article of food (Pliny, xviii, 14; Artemid. i, 71), and is stiH highly relished by the Arabs in Morocco (Hdst, Nadw. p. 182). It was also employed as malt for a species of intoxicating drink (q. v.). See Wnrs. Barley was sown in the middle of the month of Marchesvan (q. v.), or Novem- ber (Lightfoot, p. 840, 1004), and was reaped u> the month Abib (q. v.), or April (at Jericho in March ; see BvitLlb^Calendar, PaUut^ aeon, p. 14, 28; in less fovor- ed situations even in May, Robinson,/^, ii, 99, 100); and these seasons became regular iK^ations of time (2 Sam. xxi, 9; Ruth i, 22 ; Judith viii, 2). See Har- vest. See generally Celsius, Hierob. 11, 289 sq. On tiie kinds of barley known to the ancients, see Link, iu the Abhandi, derpkgnhal, Ckuse der idn, premM. Aha^ demie d, Wieeenech, 1816-17, p. 188 sq. On Num. v, 15, comp. the article Jealoust-Offbbuio. — Winer, i, 410. See Bablet.
8. SpeU (p'O^^.buse^methf Anh.lxueamat; Anm. KPi3^!S ; Triticum tpella of Linn. ; by the Latins odor or adoreum, Adam, Bom, Ant, ii, 484), mentioned m Exod. ix, 32 ; Isa. xxviii, 26; Ezek. iv, 9 [see FrrcB- Es], is a species of bread -com with a four-petaled blunt calyx, hermaphrodite blossoms, followed by lit> tie bearded slender ears, seemingly shorn (hence the name, from DDS* to curtail), whose grains adhere so firmly in the husk as to be with difliculty separated from it. It grows about as tall as barley, and was cultivated in the southern parts of Europe (Strabo^ v,